The No. 1 Question Everyone Working In Fela Should Know How To Answer Fela Kuti

The life of Fela is full of contradictions, which is part of what makes him fascinating. People who love him are able to overlook his shortcomings.

His songs are often longer than 20 minutes and are sung in a thick Pidgin English that is almost unintelligible. His music is influenced by Christian hymns classical music, jazz, Yoruba singing, and horn-andguitar heavy highlife.

He was a musician

Fela Kuti embodied that music can be used to transform the world. His music was used to argue for social, political and economic changes. His influence can be present to this day. Afrobeat is a musical style that combines African and Western influences. Its origins lie in West-African high-life music and funk however, it has evolved into a distinct style.

His political activism was intense and he did it without fear. He made use of his music to protest against government corruption and human rights violations. Songs such as "Zombie", "Coffin for the State Head" and others were blatant critiques of Nigeria's regime. He also made his home, Kalakuta Republic, as an area for political activism and an opportunity to meet like-minded people.

The production includes a massive portrait featuring his late mother Funmilayo ransome-Kuti. She was a renowned feminist and activist. Shantel Cribbs portrays her and she does an excellent job of conveying her importance in the life of Fela. The play also focuses on her political activism. Despite her deteriorating condition she refused to be tested for AIDS. Instead, she chose traditional treatment.

He was a musician

Fela Ransome Kuti was a complex individual who utilized music to bring about political change. He is famous for his work on afrobeat - a fusion of dirty funk with traditional African rhythms. He was a fervent critic of Nigeria's governmental and religious leaders.

Having been raised by an anti-colonial suffragist mother It's no surprise that Fela was interested in politics and social commentary. His parents wanted him to be an ophthalmologist, but he had different plans.

While he started in a more political highlife style, a trip to America would change his outlook forever. Exposure to Black power movements and the leaders such as Malcolm X and Eldridge Cleaver had a profound effect on his music. He adopted a Pan-Africanism ideology that would guide and inform his later work.


He was a songwriter

While in the United States Fela was introduced to Black Power activists such as Stokely Carmichael and Malcolm X. This experience led him to create an organization called the Movement of the People and compose songs that reflected the ideas he had about activism and black awareness. His philosophical ideas were aired in public via the method of yabis, which is an art of public speaking that is referred to as "freedom of expression". He also began to impose an uncompromising code of ethics for his band, such as refusing to use medicine from Western-trained doctors.

After his return to Nigeria Fela began to build his own club and the Shrine in Ikeja. The frequent raids by officers and police were almost daily. His hangers-on from Mosholashi-Idi-Oro repopulated the area surrounding the club with hard drugs, particularly the 'yamuna' and 'bana' (heroin). Fela maintained his integrity despite this. His music speaks to his determination to challenge authority and demanding that the popular goals are recognized in official goals. It is an enduring legacy that will endure for generations.

He was a poet

Fela's music used sarcasm and humor to bring attention to economic and political issues in Nigeria. He also poked fun at his audience, the government, and even himself. He often referred to himself during these shows as "the big dick on the pond with the little fish." The authorities were not taking his jokes lightly, and he was repeatedly arrested and imprisoned. He was also beaten by the authorities. He eventually renamed himself Anikulapo which translates to "he carries death in his pocket."

In 1977, Fela recorded a song called "Zombie," which compared soldiers to zombies who obeyed orders without hesitation. This irritated the military who seized the Kalakuta Republic, burning it down and beating its occupants. During the raid, Fela's mother was thrown out of her second-floor apartment by the window.

Fela developed Afrobeat during the years that followed the country's independence. Afrobeat is a music genre that combines jazz with native African rhythm. His songs criticized European cultural imperialism and defended African traditional beliefs and cultures. He also criticised fellow Africans for betraying their country's tradition. He also stressed the importance of human rights and freedom.

He was a hip-hop artist

Fela Anikulapo Kuti, a saxophonist and trumpeter, was born in Abeokuta in 1938. He is a pioneer in Afrobeat music. He grew up with jazz, rock and roll and traditional African music and chants, which helped form his style of music. After a trip to the United States in 1969, Fela met Sandra Smith, an activist from the Black Power movement and her ideas influenced his work in a profound way.

Upon his return to Nigeria, Fela began using his music as a political tool. He criticised the government of his country and argued against Western sensibilities that impacted African culture. He also wrote about social injustices and human right abuses. He was frequently detained for his criticism of the military.

Fela was also a fervent advocate of marijuana in Africa, which is known as "igbo". He also held "yabis" (public discussions) at Afrika Shrine where he would mock government officials and spread his views regarding freedom of expression and the beauty of women's bodies. Fela also had a group of young women, who danced at his shows and served as vocal backups to his vocalists.

He was a dancer

Fela was a master of musical fusion, combining elements from beat music and highlife to create his own distinctive style. He influenced a generation African musicians and was an outspoken critic of colonial rule.

fela lawyers refused to be tortured and arrested by the Nigerian military junta as having witnessed the murder of his mother. He died of complications related to AIDS in 1997.

Fela was a prominent political activist who criticized the oppressive Nigerian Government and supported the principles Pan Africanism. His albums, like 1973's Gentleman focused on the oppression of both government and colonial parties. He also promoted black power and criticised Christianity and Islam as non-African imports, which have been used to divide the people of Africa. The title track from a 1978 album, Shuffering and Shmiling, describes the over-crowded public buses packed with workers "shuffering and shmiling." Fela was a strong opponent of hypocrisy in religion. The music of Fela was also complemented by his dancers who were lively elegant, sensual, and beautiful. Their contributions to the performance were as important as the words Fela used.

He was an activist for the political cause.

Fela Kuti used music as a tool to challenge unjust authorities. He made use of his knowledge of American jazz and funk towards African styles and rhythms, resulting in an edgy sound that was prepared for battle. The majority of his songs begin as simmering instrumentals, slowly adding little riffs and long-lined melodies until they explode in a flash of vigor.

Fela, unlike many artists who were scared to discuss their political beliefs was unflinching and uncompromising. He stood in his convictions even when it was risky to do so. His mother, Funmilayo Runsome-Kuti was a fervent feminist who was the leader of the Nigerian Women's Movement. His father was a protestant minister and the teacher's union president.

He also created Kalakuta Republic, a commune and recording studio that was an emblem of resistance. The government raided the commune, destroying the property and hurting Fela badly. He refused to relent however, and continued to protest against the government. He died from complications of AIDS in 1997. His son Femi continues to carry his musical and political legacy.

He was a father

Music is often viewed as a political act with artists using lyrics to call for change. Some of the most powerful music performances are not supported by words. Fela Kuti was one of them, and his music is still ringing out to this day. He was the pioneer of Afrobeat music, which combines traditional African rhythms and harmonies with jazz and hip-hop and was being influenced by artists like James Brown.

Funmilayo Ransome Kuti was Fela's activist mother. She was a unionist who fought colonialism. She helped form the Abeokuta Women's Union and fought against gender-discriminatory taxation laws. She also studied marxism and believed in the idea of a Nigeria that was serving its all of its citizens.

Seun Fela's son continues to carry on his father's legacy with a band named Egypt 80. The band is touring the world in this year. The Egypt 80's music combines the sound of Fela and a scathing critique of the power structures that exist in the present. Black Times will be released at the end March. Many fans attended the funeral and paid respects in Tafawa Balewa Square. The crowd was so huge that the police had to shut down the entrance.